Black citizens - I think that's to whom you are referring - in 1964 had several models from which to choose. The George Washington Carver model was considered largely obsolete but had the advantage of teaching hard work, tight families, non-violence and Christianity.
Other competing models included the Malcolm X model; the Martin Luther King model; and the Democrat Party approved Lyndon Johnson model.
The later two models were very similar in 1964 but soon separated as Dr. King embraced the North Vietnamese cause and the expectation of guaranteed annual incomes for everyone.
I don't know which model I would have chosen for myself. It would have largely depended on what my parents had taught, or not taught, and what my peers were saying. I like to think I would have voted for Barry Goldwater. His belief system included many values of the Carver model.
Would you have told the founders in 1776 that they should be patient and concentrate on educating and improving themselves and that at some point down the road the king would grant them a voice in government?